**I don my costume for the festival. Though we live in a small towne, a little festival has travelled all the way here, where the townsfolk can dress up and purchase gifts from vendors in the street and watch as people put on acts. I put on my jewelry and one of my good dresses and make sure I have everything. I take the walk into towne and watch as the street comes to life, with people dancing and eating and twirling and shopping. I take my time and enjoy the evening and all its festivities.**

Last weekend I got to go to the Maryland Ren Faire! To be honest, the main reason I went was to see Brigid Kemmerer. If you’re new here, Brigid Kemmerer is one of my all-time favorite authors. She mainly writes young adult fantasy and contemporary novels with notable titles such as A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Defy the Night, and Letters to the Lost. Her writing is addicting and she always has such unique stories filled with emotion and characters you can root for.

Getting into my experience, finding the author’s lair was very difficult. The ren faire was pretty big, but there were some things that you could keep finding as you walked around. The author’s lair was something that we only came upon once, and even that took a while to find. When we finally found it, there was only one person in line so I wasn’t prepared to get up there so fast. I ended up bringing A Curse So Dark and Lonely, Defy the Night, and Letters to the Lost with me to get signed. Once I got up to her table, she signed all three of my books and was so nice! I loved getting to talk to her about her books, though I do think it was mostly me gushing about how much I love them. She seemed genuinely appreciative and gave me some bookmarks to take home and then gave me some more things based on her books. I ended up getting two bookmarks, an iron-on Syhl Shallow patch, a cloth (bandana?) map of Emberfall and the Syhl Shallow, and an art print with a quote from A Curse So Dark and Lonely, all of which are now proudly displayed on my bookshelf. I also got a picture with her. It was amazing getting to meet one of my all-time favorite authors and get my books signed as well as receive some cool merch for her books.

Getting to the rest of the faire, there were a lot of food vendors that took up a lot of the grounds. There were some games and vendors as well so it was nice to walk around and look at everything. I enjoyed looking at some of the shops while walking past and I did get to play one of the games which was pretty fun. I think this is a great place for people who would want to try out a lot of the food and watch the events in the arena area. I think it can be a cool experience to go to try something different but I don’t know if I would go back. Though if it leads you to meeting one of your favorite authors, I highly recommend. I’d love to hear about any of your own experiences meeting an author you love.

xoxo,

Just another reader